A delegation from the Florida Rural Water Association traveled to Washington DC this week to meet with members of Congress. The delegation included Robert Munro (FRWA National Director), Bruce Morrison (FRWA Vice President), and Gary Williams (Executive Director). Members of our delegation met with Congressman Darren Soto. Left to right are Bruce Morrison, Congressman Soto, Robert Munro, and Gary Williams.
During the meetings, the delegation discussed issues that are important to the small water and and wastewater systems throughout the state. The conversation included a number of pertinent Legislative/Regulatory issues. FRWA is always concerned about national issues which impact water utilities.
The Florida Rural Water Association is your voice in Tallahassee and Washington. The Association endeavors to make small water and wastewater system concerns and needs known to Florida Legislators and Congressional Delegation of Florida.
FRWA acts as a constant liaison with DEP, WMD, DOH, EPA, USDA-RD, DBPR, PSC, DCA, and others on behalf of our members. We are here to express your positions, concerns, and needs as smaller water and wastewater systems and represent you at meetings, workshops, and other events.
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ATTENTION FRWA Members in North Central Florida |
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FRWA is excited to announce that there is a new warehouse in Gainesville, where equipment is being housed for use by our members. This equipment can be for routine maintenance as well as emergency response. The equipment includes:
- 175 kW generator set with dual voltage settings from 240 volts to 480 volts 3 phase
- 100 kW generator with multi voltage settings ranging from single phase to 480 volts 3 phase
- 6” Thompson by-pass pump with both suction and discharge hoses with cam lock fittings. Pump is also equipped with float balls so it can be operated as a lift station
- 4” by-pass pump with both suction and discharge hoses with cam lock fittings
- 20 hp ABB VFD with 12,000 kW generator. This can be used to power up to a 15 hp water well or lift station pump
- Fire Hydrant flow meter
- Valve exerciser with a Honda EU 2000-watt generator
There is more equipment that water and wastewater utilities routinely need in our warehouse in Cairo, so if you need something not listed currently locally, FRWA will try to make it available for your use.
To access the equipment, call our office in Tallahassee at 850-668-2746.
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Turn Your Loss into a Gain!!
Ben Lewis, FRWA Program Manager
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It’s inevitable, and I am sure we have all had it happen to us at least once. We hire, train, educate a person and then low and behold they leave or get stolen away to a better paying job down the road, Wow what ingrates! But that is the way of life for most people, always chasing the dollar. It is hard to find that one diamond in the ruff.
I have seen it happen a lot over my 38 years in the industry, heck I even did it myself, sorry, yes, I was an ingrate too! It is not a happy time for the utility who is losing the person they put money, time, sweat and tears into so they could be part of the team, one of the family and then they just walk away like you had done nothing for them. So, utilities have it happen so many times they have started making their new hires sign a contract that if they decide to leave after their training within a certain number of years that they have to pay back the fees it costs to train them, which may or may not stand up in a court of law, but is a great idea, or they will with-hold their last pay check, vacation pay, etc. I understand this concept as after a while you start to lose money and having to train a new person is time consuming and takes away from someone’s time of doing their job. Training someone to be great at their job is costly and time consuming. more
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Registration Open for FL/AL |
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May 18-19, 2022
Edgewater Beach & Golf Resort
11212 Front Beach Rd
Panama City FL 32407
Reservations 800.874.8686/Booking Code 1179q6
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This year we return to the Edgewater in Panama City on May 18-19, 2022 to meet with friends from Alabama Rural Water to host the Florida/Alabama Joint Conference. This year’s Conference will be held at the beautiful Edgewater Beach and Golf Resort. To make your reservations now, contact 800.874.8686 and give them the booking code 1179q6 to take advantage of our discounted rates.
For only $100.00, you can register for the conference as an attendee to attend class and earn 1.0 CEUs as well participate in all the activities and meals during the Conference. If you would like to sign in early, you may come by on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 17th while the Exhibitors are setting up in the Exhibit Hall. If you can't make it on Monday afternoon, don't worry! We will be opened bright and early at 8:00 am on Wednesday, May 18th to give you plenty of time to sign in and enjoy a continental breakfast in the Exhibit Hall before class begins at 9:30 am.
Don’t miss this opportunity to network with your peers while enjoying the latest in training topics and earn 1.0 CEU. Our Exhibit Hall will offer a chance to see the latest technology that the industry has to offer. At the end of the day, you can relax with your friends and enjoy the Annual Seafood Boil. If you have family coming with you, you can purchase additional meal tickets for $30.00.
To register and for more information, click here.
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FRWA Always Looking for Great People |
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The Latest on Topics of Interest |
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Below are links to articles on topics that we feel are of interest to the water and wastewater utilities in Florida. |
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NATIONAL NEWS
Biden FY23 budget plan has mixed results for construction President Joe Biden’s fiscal year 2023 budget request includes tens of billions of dollars for federal construction and infrastructure programs, supplementing the big gains provided in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. more
Researchers find wetland plant can filter PFAS chemicals Researchers have found that a common wetland plant native to Australia can remove toxic “forever chemicals” from the surrounding environment. more
Nearly 150 wastewater sites seeing an increase of 100% or more COVID-19 sampling in the U.S. The U.S. continues to exhibit signs that COVID-19 upticks may be emerging, across the country, as the presence of the omicron subvariant, BA.2, steadily increases. more
How the Clean Water Act stacks up after 50 years World Water Day, the annual United Nations observance that celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2 billion people living without access to safe water was celebrated last week. more
Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies unveils 2022 water policy priorities As AMWA members gathered in Washington, D.C., earlier this month for the 2022 Water Policy Conference, the association circulated a set of one-page policy briefs to aid water systems’ advocacy on Capitol Hill. more
CISA releases cyber risk summary for water and wastewater services sector Report identifies trends based on information collected from water and wastewater entities in FY 2021. more
How 'spongy' is your city? Report calls on cities to better assess how they absorb water Cities should use digital tools to better understand their natural absorbency and, in turn, bolster nature-based solutions to prepare for a future with increasingly heavy rainfall, engineering and consulting firm Arup stated in its Global Sponge Cities Snapshot report released Tuesday. more
Pharmaceutical water pollution detected deep in the Brazilian Amazon Major rivers in the Amazon Basin of Brazil are contaminated with a wide range of pharmaceuticals as well as with sewage and wastewater, largely coming from urban centers in the region, according to recent research. more
New program aimed at cleaning up drinking water Cleaning up Delaware’s drinking water is the focus of a new program, Gov. John Carney said. more
New insights, strategies for water affordability in updated AWWA guide Ensuring water affordability for all consumers, particularly those most vulnerable, is gaining momentum nationally and in local communities. more
STATE NEWS
Active Atlantic hurricane season expected once again Three to five of the hurricanes are projected to have winds exceeding 111 mph, and four to six are forecast to directly impact the U.S. The forecast also gave a “high chance” of a system forming before the June 1 start of the season. more
DeSantis urged to veto Lake Okeechobee water supply bill by 4 environmental nonprofits | TCPalm Four South Florida environmental nonprofits sent Gov. Ron DeSantis a letter Wednesday urging him to veto a controversial Lake Okeechobee water supply bill. more
1,000 Eyes on the Water campaign encourages South Floridians to join fight to save Biscayne Bay | Local 10 As the rainy season and summer months approach, there is real concern of another fish kill in Biscayne Bay if we don’t get a handle on all the pollution that still flows into the watershed. more
Southwest Florida seeing driest conditions in state as drought sets in April and May are the driest months of the year. Drought conditions are expected to worsen over the coming weeks, but relief will come with the wet season returning in June. more
Sarasota, Fla., breaks ground on new water reclamation facility Sarasota County has broken ground on the Bee Ridge Water Reclamation Facility (BRWRF) project that will upgrade its function to an Advanced Wastewater Treatment process. more
Florida water system, Mueller to launch meter customer service pilot program Mueller Systems has been selected by Pace Water System in Santa Rosa County, Florida, to deploy a pilot program for their water meter system which includes new features that allow customers to control their meter from a mobile phone. more
April is water conservation month in Florida. Here's how you can save April has been declared Water Conservation Month because Florida is typically dry in April. more
Setting priorities: Does Indiantown need a new village hall or new water facilities? | TCPalm Some local officials here have their sights set on a village hall complex as they await the first conceptual design plans. Others, however, say they would prefer to see tax dollars spent elsewhere. more
Martin County, Fla., Utilities wins 2022 Best Tasting Drinking Water Contest Martin County Utilities has won the Region VIII 2022 Best Tasting Drinking Water Contest sponsored by the Florida Section American Water Works Association (FSAWWA). more
Saving starving manatees will mean saving this crucial lagoon habitat Not long ago, seagrass spanned the 156-mile Indian River Lagoon like a vast underwater meadow nourished by sunlight that reached through the crystalline water. more
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This Week in Water History |
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March 26, 1914 Municipal Journal letter to the editor. Typhoid Epidemic at Rockville, MD. “Prof. Earle B. Phelps for the United States Government at Washington, Robert B. Morse, chief engineer Maryland State Board of Health, a number of others and the writer were recently called upon by the authorities at Rockville to inquire into and alleviate a typhoid epidemic in which two per cent. of the entire population were stricken with the disease. There have been more than 20 cases, but to date there have been no deaths.
Rockville, a small town of 1,100 inhabitants, lies about 18 miles distant from Washington, D. C. It is built on the backbone of a ridge draining into three watersheds. Since 1897 the town has operated its own waterworks, obtaining a supply from two driven wells about 40 feet apart and some 225 feet deep, located in the valley in the direct line of the storm water run off from the town which takes approximately one-half the runoff.
The district surrounding the pumping station is sparsely built up, the town is unsewered and has few storm water drains. Kitchen and bath wastes are permitted to pass into the street and down the gutter. Cesspools and open closets dot the hillside. A small stream passing near the pumping station serves as an outlet for floods, kitchen wastes, etc. The normal flow of the creek does not exceed 4 cubic feet per minute. more
To enjoy more opportunities to take a look at the past in water history, go to this link.
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2970 Wellington Circle | Tallahassee FL 32309 | 850.668.8023 | Contact Us
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